Perfect Piping Buttercream is the absolute best recipe for frosting cakes and cookies with a great consistency just right for piping your beautiful designs. This luscious buttercream frosting is light and airy with added flavor from vanilla and almond extract.
Best Buttercream
Frosting cut-out cookies for holidays is both my favorite and most dreaded activity. I LOVE frosting the first couple dozen cookies with beautifully ornate piped designs with buttercream.
I am alone in this process though because no one else in my family is willing to help. They claim they “can’t do it as well” and therefore are unwilling to even try. Total cop out!
Frosting for cookies
So 5-6 dozen cookies and hours later I am completely burnt out. The cookies are beautiful and taste amazing, but man oh man are my hands tired and eyes weary.
Frosting cookies should totally be a family affair and it would be much more fun. When I have children, I will happily let them slather on the frosting in the ugliest of designs, mostly because that means I won’t have to frost as many cookies! 😉
Best Buttercream for piping designs
Over the years my mother and I have perfected the recipe for frosting. We were looking for a balance of taste and how it piped. We used to use a royal icing, but it didn’t taste as good.
We later moved to buttercream for flavor but our original recipe was too thick to get nice piping shapes from. We altered that recipe over the years and finally landed upon this recipe that is absolutely perfect.
This perfect piping buttercream is our go-to frosting for everything from cookies to cupcakes!
How to make the best buttercream?
I could pretty much lick a bowl of this buttercream and be one happy woman. The addition of vanilla AND almond extract gives it a great flavor that we all love. It sets it apart from plain frosting.
It is important to only use gel or paste food dye
when making your frosting, because the liquid dyes will alter the consistency a surprisingly great deal. Liquid dye will take your luscious buttercream from the perfect consistency, to a runny consistency that won’t hold it’s shape in a quick hurry.
How to pipe buttercream?
I separate my batch of buttercream into 5 or 6 bowls and dye each bowl of frosting to my desired consistency. I have never found a dye that will get me a true red, so if you have any secrets for a rich Christmas red, I would love to hear them!
Grab your piping bags and decorating tips and you are ready to fill them up. I like to turn the bag half way inside out and set it in a tall glass. This makes it easier to scoop the buttercream into the bag if I am doing it along.
After your bags are filled it’s time to dream up all sorts of amazing designs for your cookies or cake that have the added bonus of tasting great!
More baked goods perfect with buttercream!
While we could eat buttercream right from the spoon, it’s probably best to serve it on a cake or cookie. Here are some other great recipe that you can use buttercream with.
- Fresh Strawberry Ombre Cake
- Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Cake Bars – Swap out the cream cheese frosting for buttercream
Perfect Piping Buttercream Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 c. shortening butter flavored
- 1 c. butter
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 7 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
- gel or paste icing dyes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the shortening and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla, almond extract and cream and mix until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat the frosting for an additional 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Using a toothpick, add the tiniest amount of dye at a time to the bowl of frosting to control your color. These dyes will color the frosting quickly, so there is no need to add too much.
Brittany H says
I used this to make the flowers on my daughters 5th birthday cake and it was absolutely PERFET!!! Great flavor and consistency for piping!!! Thank you for sharing it🥰
Jenna says
I made this buttercream for my daughter’s first birthday. It was my first time using the recipe and it was an absolute hit! Everyone commented on how they usually don’t eat the frosting but finished all of this one. I highly recommend! My sister in law who worked at a pretty fancy bakery and grew up with a mom who was a caterer had never heard of using the almond extract in the frosting but it added a little something special. This will be my go to recipe from now on. I barely ever leave reviews but after the rave reviews I received from the party guests had to pass them along! Thank you for sharing!
Amory says
Hi. Going to try the piping icing on Chocolate covered buttercream Easter eggs tomorrow but I saw your question regarding Real Red. A cake decorator taught me years ago that to get to red make up a batch of pink and then add the red to it. It has produced results for me. Just FYI
Danielle Green says
That is interesting, I will have to try it!
Kathy Peterson says
Hello,
My grand daughter cannot have dairy, what can I use instead of butter shortening and heavy whipping cream?
Thank you!
Danielle Green says
You can use all shortening and a milk substitute like almond milk for the cream.
Lauren says
I use Americolor super red or tulip red to get a deep rich red and I make it a few days in advance so that the color will deepen without getting a bitter taste.
Shawna says
I’m wanting to make chocolate buttercream, how would I adjust this recipe?
Danielle Green says
I would honestly just use a different recipe. The chocolate frosting recipe on this cake is AMAZING! https://www.thecreativebite.com/triple-chocolate-cake/
Shawna says
Thanks! And I absolutely love this recipe. It’s the only one I use and everyone loves it!
Shawna says
I’m wanting to make chocolate buttercream, how would I adjust this recipe?
Tina Lax says
I am new to piping, brand new. Can you tell me which tip you used to make those adorable white cupcakes with the sprinkles?
Danielle Green says
I use a large round piping tip like this one, https://amzn.to/2MJX4W6
Jason says
In Canada, the butter-flavored Crisco shortening is called “Golden”. It’s the same thing just a different name than in the US.
Danielle Green says
Thanks for the information Jason!
Tina Lax says
I am new to piping, brand new. Can you tell me which tip you used to make those adorable white cupcakes with the sprinkles?
Laci says
Hi!
I want to pipe my flowers ahead of time, place them on parchment paper and stick them in the freezer to decorate cupcakes the next day. I know you said the consistency is different after freezing but how do you think it’ll be after pipping the flowers and just transferring them over the next day?
Thank you!
Danielle Green says
I would just refrigerate them if it’s only for a day! That will keep them quite firm.
Pamela St. George says
Perfect piping frosting! However, the butter Crisco flavor overpowered the taste, and I had to add more vanilla and almond flavoring to mask it. I recommend using plain Crisco instead to avoid this.
Pamela St. George says
Perfect piping frosting! However, the butter Crisco flavor overpowered the taste, and I had to add more vanilla and almond flavoring to mask it. I recommend using plain Crisco instead to avoid this.
Nicole says
I really like this recipe and am going to try it today.
I have a concern. I do not have butter flavored Crisco, but plain. I have butter extract, but I am concerned about adding liquid and have no idea how much to use. What do you recommend?
Thanks
Danielle Green says
I would make the frosting up with the plain Crisco before adding the butter extract. It might taste perfectly good without it, but if it does need it, I don’t think a few drops should hurt.
Nicole says
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! ❤️
Linda Kennedy says
Just made this frosting…been icing cookies and cakes for 50+years…and this was the BEST!!!! Everything came out PERFECT!!! Thanks so much….yum
Melissa says
Can I icing sugar cookies with this icing. Meaning outlining and flooding and of course decorating. I have always used royal icing.
Danielle Green says
Nope, this is an entirely different consistency than royal icing. You need to pipe or spread this frosting on.
sunita says
HI, Can I make flowers from the above buttercream recipe and put it in freezer to use later? if yes will the colour fade?
Danielle Green says
I have never tried freezing this, so I can’t say whether or not it will. Sorry I’m not more help!
Heather Erwin says
We aren’t fans of shortening, could I use all butter?
Danielle Green says
Yes, I’ve tried it with all butter and it’s great. It just doesn’t keep it’s pipping shape quite as well, but it still looks nice and tastes great.
sunita says
HI, Can I make flowers from the above buttercream recipe and put it in freezer to use later? if yes will the colour fade?
Cynthia says
Danielle, I need to make a dark chocolate buttercream. Have you done so with this recipe? Any suggestions?
Danielle Green says
Hi Cynthia, the frosting from this dark chocolate cake recipe is amazing! https://www.thecreativebite.com/triple-chocolate-cake/
Bevklinzing says
I thought it was very good, except I didn’t like it for roses
venessa w. says
do I let the shortening and the butter set to room temp.
Danielle Green says
The butter needs to be room temp or atleast pliable. Shortening is stored at room temp so that is ready to go.
venessa w. says
do I let the shortening and the butter set to room temp.